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In 2013, NSA contractor Edward Snowden shook the pillars of the worldwide intelligence community when he revealed a trove of highly classified information that exposed astonishingly widespread… continue reading

Overbrook gets its name from a train station built over a brook. This is quite appropriate, as it was the Pennsylvania Railroad that bought trolley rights to Lancaster Avenue from 52nd… continue reading

Children will be returning to school in a few weeks. For middle schoolers, this means new teachers (and possibly new schools), new backpacks, and new school supplies. It also opens up the… continue reading

I first read My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George in grade school (sometime in the '80s) and was immediately in love with the idea of running away to the woods to fend for myself.… continue reading

As adults, it’s our job to help the children in our lives make sense of the world around them. After the events in Charlottesville this past weekend, and events around the country in recent… continue reading

During the academic year, many of Philadelphia’s public school students receive subsidized meals from their school. When summer break rolls around though, where can Philly’s kids get a… continue reading

The arrival of 2017 brought numerous throwbacks to popular television shows of the past. A number of reboots have already hit the small screen, with more scheduled to appear by the end of the… continue reading

Get ready for a rare celestial happening in the universe (well, at least our known universe ), as a Solar Eclipse will be taking place throughout North American on August 21. But what exactly is a… continue reading

Relatively few Americans have ever visited or know much about Russia, North Korea, and Turkey. Yet, each passing day seems to bring additional evidence that these nations are working to thwart… continue reading

by Annette Mattei Did you know that close to 30 percent of adults who visit the Free Library come here to look for jobs? Moreover, That’s according to a Pew survey conducted in 2012 , 40… continue reading

I don’t remember how I first heard about Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden , but what I do remember is that I immediately set out to get a copy by any means necessary. I was a 16-year-old… continue reading

That's right, today is Book Lovers Day, and you know the Free Library wouldn’t miss the chance to celebrate! In honor of such a momentous occasion, our staff shared what a perfect day of… continue reading

Almost 100 years before Ellis Island, Philadelphia established The Lazaretto Station. It became the point of entry for all ships and passengers arriving during the quarantine season of June… continue reading

The Summer of Wonder is happening across the city at every Free Library of Philadelphia location . It’s also happening online through the end of August. But did you know that the Summer of… continue reading

You all know me well enough to understand that my love of mysteries runs deep . Real deep. And so, this Throwback Thursday I’m going back to where it all began—River Heights, a town in… continue reading